


Baby, It's Cold Outside

by cowboykylux



Series: Zannah's 12 Days of Oneshots [7]
Category: Marriage Story (2019)
Genre: Affairs, Canon Compliant, Christmas Party, Extramarital Affairs, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Set in the Mind & Soul 'Verse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-21
Updated: 2019-12-21
Packaged: 2021-02-24 15:46:50
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,992
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21880429
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cowboykylux/pseuds/cowboykylux
Summary: He looks at you, and you look back at him, and you chew your lip when you tell him, “I really can’t stay.”He nearly drops what he’s holding and crosses the room in three long strides, slides his arms around yours, and you melt into the embrace. You rest your head on his shoulder for a moment, looking up at him through your thick lashes. He knows, knows what you’re doing.You’re grateful he’s going to play along.“But baby, it’s cold outside.” He whispers, licks his lips.
Relationships: Charlie (Marriage Story)/Reader
Series: Zannah's 12 Days of Oneshots [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1569352
Comments: 2
Kudos: 32





	Baby, It's Cold Outside

The party had been achingly wonderful. You’d never seen his house so filled with warmth, with light – and you’d been over a dozens and dozens of, in the past few years that you’ve known him, have known Charlie.

The place was packed with all his theater friends, all the writing and directing and acting geniuses gracing the Broadway stage. And you, in the middle of it all, were enthralled, were so glad for the opportunity to schmooze and laugh and cheers with your peers. You’d talked scripts, screenplays, plays and movies, award shows and bullshit critics, and you’d done it all with the pleasant warmth of food in your belly and a drink in your hand.

He had really gone all out, you think once the party had begun to die down. The string lights were twinking a soft white, the tree all lit up red and gold. Henry had helped decorate it before flying to Los Angeles to spend the holiday with Nicole who had just moved there. There were tapered candles lit and softly melting, wax hot and dripping on the silver plates that were there to catch the drops so the tabletops weren’t ruined. He always was thinking one step ahead, your Charlie.

That thought, the _your Charlie,_ sent a soft bloom of fondness through your chest. All night he’d been making eyes at you, dark and glittering with more emotions than you could probably parse. All night he’d been smiling at you from across the room, face half-hidden in his cup of eggnog. All night he’d been making as many excuses as possible to find his way next to you, to make you laugh, to make you pay attention to him and only him.

It was a secret, of course. The affair.

That’s where the ache came in, didn’t it? The urge to be close to him. The war of being close but not too close, to smile but not smile too much, to look but not stare. It wouldn’t do to make anyone suspicious, wouldn’t do to draw attention. It was a bittersweet kind of atmosphere, wanting to hold and be held, but not able to. 

Except now…now the party had wound down to just the two of you. You had insisted on staying to help clean up. You didn’t need to catch a cab or a train, you only lived just next door – so of course you would stay and help.

And there was a tension there, a silent tension, as you stacked up all the red solo cups, threw them away. The two of you trying to wait, trying to wait in case someone forgot something at his house before they left, in case a neighbor wanted to drop by, in case in case in case.

So there was the tension, two of you dancing around one another as you walked around and turned off the lights in all the rooms no one was in, because you know how much Charlie hates wasting electricity. As you brush past him to bring the leftovers to the kitchen, wrap them in silver foil and stack them in the fridge so he’d have something to eat later. As you put on your coat and head for the door, casting a look over your shoulder.

He looks at you, and you look back at him, and you chew your lip when you tell him, “I really can’t stay.”

He nearly drops what he’s holding and crosses the room in three long strides, slides his arms around yours, and you melt into the embrace. You rest your head on his shoulder for a moment, looking up at him through your thick lashes. He knows, knows what you’re doing.

You’re grateful he’s going to play along.

“But baby, it’s cold outside.” He whispers, licks his lips.

You love it when he calls you baby, when he says it like that. Like it’s the easiest thing in the world to call you, the most natural thing.

And wasn’t it?

You try and suppress the ghost of a smile that’s threatening to spread across your mouth, but you fail. You fail as you turn in his embrace, and smooth your hands up the soft sweater he wears. It was terrible, red and green and white with little gold bells and ribbon bows stitched into the fabric. You had bought him that sweater, had told him that everyone should have something ugly and tacky to wear for a Christmas party.

“Yes, but I’ve got to go away.” You explain, not making one motion to step away from him.

“But…it’s cold outside.” He reiterates and you do grin then, grin bright and wide, as his arms wind around your waist and pull you ever closer.

“This evening has been – ” You start, pulling away for a moment to look for your keys.

“I was hoping you’d drop in – ” He says, and now he’s smiling too, he’s walking into the kitchen for a moment.

“—So very nice.” You continue, finding them. You had placed them in the little dish on the table by the door, and you can’t help but think that they look so good there, next to Charlie’s keys.

You wondered if it was the holiday atmosphere or something else, that made you emotional over that. Charlie sees in your face how you’re getting choked up, choked up over something as simple as two keys in a dish, and he comes to your side with two glasses of champagne from the kitchen. 

He hands you one and when your fingers touch, he gasps, gives you a big toothy smile that makes you want to kiss him.

“Here, let me hold your hand, they’re just like ice!” He hisses dramatically, takes your hand in his.

It’s then that you realize the curtains are open, and anyone on the street could see. You immediately pull him away, pull him down the main hallway where no one would be able to look in, no one would be able to know this is what the two of you get up to.

What will the two you get up to?

“The neighbors might think…” You explain with a chuckle, and he waves it off.

“Oh, but it’s so bad out there.” He says sarcastically, nodding to the softly falling snow that’s barely sticking to the manicured lawn outside.

You laugh too loud at that, a nervous giggle that shakes your body as he pulls you in close in the dark of the hallway. You feel dizzy, feel dizzy in the best way, lightheaded with love and giddiness.

“Say, what’s in this drink?” You tease taking a whiff of the champagne, but he frowns.

“That’s not funny.” He tucks a bit of hair behind your ear, warms his palm on your cheek.

You look up into his eyes and see the softness there, and suddenly it’s all too much and not nearly enough at the same time.

“I wish I knew how…” You sigh, nuzzling into his embrace for a moment. Your back is resting against the wall of the hallway, and he’s standing between your legs, your stomachs practically pressing together with how close you are, and soon the nuzzling turns into kissing his palm, “To break this spell.”

“Give me your hat, your hair looks swell.” He whispers, sliding your coat off of your shoulders and taking off the wool beret you had worn, a festive thing that matched your dress.

“I ought to say ‘no, no, no, sir.’” You grin, blush and bat your eyelashes, being teasing, playful.

“Mind if I move in closer?” He asks as he braces his arms against the wall, caging you between them.

And you decide to play with him a little longer, so you duck out from under his arm and laugh with another, “I gotta get home!”

You try, but Charlie chases you, chases you and spills his champagne in the process, chases you and grabs you around your middle, hoists you up in a way that makes you laugh and laugh and laugh, like he were some great fireman and you were in need of rescue.

Maybe you think, as he sets you down on the couch and closes the curtains, maybe you were.

“You’d freeze out there.” He shakes his head, hiding your outerwear in the closet by the door.

“So lend me your coat.” You challenge and he scoffs.

“It’s up to your knees out there!” He makes up, points to the window.

There absolutely wasn’t even an inch of snow yet, not yet. But you knew that, and he knew that you knew that, and you settle into the couch anyway, settle in further, taking another sip of champagne. That dizzy warm bubbly feeling spreads through your whole body in the most pleasant way, and time feels like it’s standing still.

What time even was it?

“There’s bound to be talk tomorrow.” You roll your eyes and smirk, beckon him forward with a crook of your finger as you slip your heels off of your feet.

Charlie didn’t like shoes on the couch, and you don’t blame him. He watches your movements carefully, watches as you rub your ankles together, toes probably going so so cold from being exposed to the air. He puts both his hands over his heart and gives you the most convincing heartbroken look you’d ever seen, a true actor.

“Think of my holiday sorrow – ” He starts, making his way back to you, following your finger, entranced by you.

Who was under the spell now?

“At least there will be plenty implied.” You wink, already envisioning the talk of the theater community tomorrow. Surely there’d be gossip, surely there’d be theories. There were already theories, and ones that weren’t unfounded.

“ – If you caught pneumonia and died.” Charlie continued, the thought of that being so absurd that your laugh rings brightly in the still warm air of the living room.

You open yourself up for him, let him fall on top of you on the couch. He’s heavy, a pleasant weight that’s sturdy, warm. He was always so warm, everything about him. From his smile and those dimples, to the chocolate of his eyes, those eyes which are so deep, so soulful.

It breaks your heart sometimes, all of this. The divorce.

You wondered how he was coping, this being the first Christmas without Henry and all. You wondered if he was coping at all, or if the party was a distraction, a means to have people in the house. The house was so empty these days.

Well, except for you.

“I really can’t stay.” You whisper once again, echoing the same sentiment from earlier, and not meaning it any one ounce more.

“Do you really still have doubts?” Charlie whispers back, and there it is, the act has dropped, and the real concern – that you really don’t want him, that you really don’t want _this_ – has returned.

You chew the inside of your lip and cast a glance to the window, making sure the curtains are pulled nice and tight, making sure no one could see, no one could compromise this affair, this love that you shared. You card your fingers through his hair and sigh once more. You’re so content, you could live here like this, live in his embrace.

Maybe one day, one day when all this bullshit is over, you will.

“Oh baby, it’s cold outside.” You grin, and he knows he’s won then, knows it when you wind your arms around his neck, when you let your eyes close for him.

He smiles against you, smiles as he kisses you. The snow falls, the children sleep, the trains run. But in the living room, on his couch (and soon in his bed), it is safe and you are so in love that nothing matters – nothing matters because Charlie loves you back.

And really, is was cold outside.

**Author's Note:**

> A Charlie fic at last! <3
> 
> This story is part of my 12 Days of Oneshots, where every day leading up to the first night of Hanukkah and Christmas Eve, there will be a short oneshot around 2k in length of our favorite boys! Each oneshot is based off my favorite holiday songs, but you won't know who gets which until the day it's posted!
> 
> Be sure to join in the fun over on my tumblr, where you can see the masterlist for the series and, if you'd like, guess which character gets which song in the upcoming days :)
> 
> Wishing you all very happy holidays this year <333


End file.
